A Good Day

Not to say that everyday isn't a good day, but February 15th was a VERY good day. February 14th was a good day too as my hunny and I celebrated another wonderful Valentine's day complete with dinner at Frankie's and followed up by our traditional Cheesecake Factory cheesecake! So what made the 15th better? Well, Doug officially accepted an offer for a full time position at Microsoft!! YEAH Doug!! Oh, and I made a very large batch of sugar cookies :0) How much better can a day get!?!

Yesterday was exciting too! We finally made reservations for our cruise to Alaska with the Beggs. We are all excited about the week long adventure that will be both beautiful and relaxing, and how much more fun to enjoy it with friends!

Summer BBQ and a movie

Yes, we know it isn't summer, but what better way to look forward to the sunny days of summer than to have a BBQ! Our young adults group gathered on this cloudy and somewhat rainy day and enjoyed BBQd burgers, potatoe salad, chips and icy cold drinks. And what event is complete without a movie on a big screen TV complete with surround sound and Doug's not-used-so-much-because-we-live-in-a-condo-subwoofer. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was the movie of choice, and thanks to the subwoofer Indy really packed a punch!!

Doug's Eee went to Sunday school with him today, and got a lot of attention from the highschoolers. A forum from Eee fans had mentioned that it was a "babe magnet" (which of course I (Erika) am not thrilled about) but from all the attention it got today, I think it is more of a magnet period. Why? I'm not sure...

Rainy days, climbing and looking ahead

The weather finally warmed up this week. We went from freezing temperatures and threats of snow to 40 degree weather and typical Seattle skies (for those of you not familiar with typical Seattle skies: grey and wet). However, we haven't seemed to notice it much; too many other things to do.

Doug has kept busy this week dreaming of his Eee PC. This isn't necessarily the latest greatest in laptop technology, but it is definitely the smallest! On Wednesday his dreams turned into reality and the long awaited laptop (3 shipping days) arrived on our doorstep. I haven't heard about much else since its arrival ;0).

Yesterday we went climbing again a Vertical World. Doug's ability to scale a wall is quickly coming back to him. He climbs a 5.9 like a ladder while poor Mike and I struggle with 5.6 and 5.7. I did try to tackle a 5.10 just for fun, and actually made it past one of the hardest spots, but had to stop just after (only about half way up the wall) because I had used up every ounce of energy I had to make it as far as I did. Maybe next time. Once again both Doug and I came home very sore...I love a workout that doesn't feel like your working out :0).

Today, we look ahead to summer vacation plans. We are planning on taking a cruise to Alaska with Chad and Sarah. We were thinking about late August, but looks like the prices are better in June...may just mean we need more layers at the ports of call ;0). Anyway, I checked with my boss and it surprised me to hear that today was the cut off to put in for summer vacations, so I quickly requested the June dates and hope that will work for us all. Yippee...a cruise, I have never been on a cruise :0).

Snowy weather and an unexpected girls night!

Well, it snowed last night. It has been in the news as a threat all week, and it is finally here. So pretty, but really makes traffic a mess. Doug had plans to take the bus this morning anyway, and even though it was late, I am glad he went that route.

The snowy weather once again filled our guest bedroom. Riann, who was coming into town for an appointment, spent yesterday evening with us. We enjoyed Doug's kettle corn, chatting, and a girlly movie on the movie wall while Doug was busy programming away. Very fun, and once again a great inspiration to tidy before she came ;0).

Well, off to another week of work. Hope the roads are in better shape than they were this morning :0)

Garbage

It is amazing how much difference a simple garbage can can make! Not that we didn't have one before, but we sure didn't have one like this:

No longer will we gauge "time to empty" on the smell, and an added bonus is the hands free lid! I know, I know...this invention has been around for quite some time, but it doesn't mean I can't be giddy about our new purchase. Just hoping it will continue to keep up the good work.

Work and Play

After a weeks worth of work, we did get to play a little...if you can call it that :). Thursday evening Doug and I joined another couple to go climbing at Vertical World. Wow, you really find out how out of shape you are when you do something that requires strength from every one of your muscles.

After working this weekend, I had today off, and because it was a holiday, my friend Sarah also had the day off. So, as it is rare we have days off together, we used this time to have an outing to ourselves. We started off by window shopping at Country Village, then headed to the mall to check out bargins. The picture is of me in my fantastic finds (only with Sarah's help though). The jeans are Banana Republic, originally $128...on sale for $19.97. The sweater is Eddie Bauer on sale + an extra 30% off of that!! I guess Sarah and I will have to go shopping more often :)

Microsoft chocolate?

Freebies are always fun, but when they come in the form of chocolate...WooHOO!! Doug said they were handing these out on campus. And if you think advertising on the outside isn't enough, put it on the inside too (afterall that is what most people are paying attention to anyway).

Well, we just finally finished tidying up after the holidays. Only inspired by the fact that we are having people over on short notice this afternoon. If no one ever visited, I think my house would be a constant pit (I hope Doug would tell me if it gets too bad...sometimes I wonder ;0))